An Irish bank’s attempt to collect on debts by taking control of Kyiv’s landmark Ukraina shopping mall is being frustrated at every turn by a mysterious company whose representatives evidently wield strong influence in Ukraine.

On Dec. 23, a Kyiv court granted a $45.2 million claim filed by a British Virign Islands-registered firm against the property, putting the shopping mall on the verge of bankruptcy.

The ruling was just the latest move in a grueling battle over control of the 45,000 square-meter property.

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